Mary, What's the deal with Catholics?

Mary, Mother of Jesus is probably the single most objectionable thing about the christian catholic Religion and has polarized Christians a great deal, mostly because there is a lot of misunderstanding on the topic.

Let's give it a shot to clear up some things.

Most devout Protestants find the Church’s teachings
about and devotions to Mary the single most objectionable
thing about the Catholic religion.
Because they worry that the Catholic Church, in raising
Mary so high, obscures the uniqueness and all-sufficiency
of Christ. Catholics find this objection strange, for
Mary can no more rival Christ than the reflection of a face
in a mirror can rival that face. How could Mary obscure
Christ? All her beauty is his. She is only his obedient, humble
handmaid: that is precisely why she is so highly
revered. Mary’s greatness, and Catholics’ devotion to her, is
totally dependent on her total dependence on him, beginning
at the Annunciation, when her submission to the
Word of God made his incarnation and our salvation possible

When we look at the realm of scripture as a whole, what is the big picture?

Lets' start at the begining.

Why Adam and Eve?
The Creation Story highpoint, are Adam and Eve. They are the epitomy of God's perfect design.
In and of themselves they represent a michrocosm of the universe. (Material make up of our Body)
ADAM AND EVE WERE PERFECT. They were supposed to be the most perfect image of everything and anything there is to know about God, until something terrible happened.... THEY FAILED MISERABLY at the sneakiness of the serpent.

God with his everlasting LOVE and mercy promised something to Eve and adam vis-avis the serpent that no human could ever dream of, VICTORY! Through their descendants (seeds)!

As Dr Peter Kreeft puts it best than i could ever do.
Mary as the “New Eve”
This is the earliest of her titles, going back to the first Church Fathers, who see both her and her Son foretold in Genesis 3:15. After Adam and Eve have fallen, God says to the serpent:
“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

“At the very beginning there was Eve; despite her disobedience,she receives the promise of a posterity that will be victorious over the evil one . . .128” (C 489).“This passage in Genesis [3:15] is called the Protoevangelium (‘first gospel’): the first announcement of the Messiah and Redeemer, of a battle between the serpent and the Woman . . . . [M]any Fathers and Doctors of the Church
have seen the woman announced in the Protoevangelium as Mary, the Mother of Christ, the ‘new Eve’”(C 410-11).For Mary reverses Eve’s disobedience with her obedience, in cooperation with Christ the New Adam (1 Cor 15:21-22,45), who reverses Adam’s disobedience by his obedience “unto death, even death on a cross” (Phil 2:8). Where Eve said No, Mary said Yes. Where Eve’s faith failed, Mary’s stood firm. “At the announcement that she would give birth to ‘the Son of the Most High’ without
knowing man, by the power of the Holy Spirit, Mary responded with the obedience of faith . . . ‘Behold,I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be [done] to me according to your word’139 (Lk 1:28-38)

“As St. Irenaeus says,‘Being obedient she became the cause of salvation for herself and for the whole human race.’141 Hence not a few of the early Fathers gladly assert . . .:‘The knot of Eve’s disobedience was untied by Mary’s obedience: what the virgin Eve bound through her disbelief, Mary loosened by her faith.’142 .
4. Mary as Virgin Mother The point of the Virgin Birth is not something negative but something positive: Christ’s divinity and humanity and her being a mother. “The Fathers see in the virginal conception the sign that it truly was the Son of God who came in a humanity like our own” (C 496). “The gospel
accounts understand the virginal conception of Jesus as a divine work . . .‘conceived . . . of the Holy Spirit’149”(C 497), spiritually and supernaturally, instead of by Joseph, physically and naturally. Christ had no human father because he has a divine Father, and he has his divine nature from his Father in eternity. He received his human nature from his mother Mary in time, and from her alone.

Christ is No more a Man than he is a God and he is no more a God than he is a Man. That is the mystery of the Christian faith. Many have questionned the hypostatic union (fully man and fully God, not one over the other), but as soon as one questions this pillar of our faith, Christian theology crumbles.


One may say well it was written, so it was bound to happen. That would be denying Mary of her freewill, saying she was "programmed" to give birth to the savior. This does in fact go against what we know of God, because it denies a human person of what constitutes their human personna, their Free Will, the most risky yet rewarding asset God granted us to maximize his glory.

But i must end with this, in Search for TRUTH, i have come to the conclusion Christianity covers all spectrum of understanding ;From being as INTRICATE AND COMPLEX as quantum physics to also being at the same time as SIMPLE AND LOVING as hearing a bed timestory.

Interesting Article - TONY BLAIR AND OBAMA TALK FAITH

BREAKFAST Feb-5-2009 (820 words) With photos. xxxnObama, Blair talk about the roots of their faith, its influenceBy Patricia ZaporCatholic News ServiceWASHINGTON (CNS) -- President Barack Obama and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair struck similar themes in remarks to the National Prayer Breakfast Feb. 5, telling of their own faith roots and noting that the world's major religions all hold a core doctrine of caring for others.Obama also used the occasion to say that later in the day he would formally announce the establishment of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, a reworking of the faith-based office established by President George W. Bush.Later that morning Obama signed an executive order creating the new office and a new council of advisers.Looking around the Washington hotel ballroom with thousands of guests from around the world, Obama said at the breakfast, "It strikes me that this is one of the rare occasions that still brings much of the world together in a moment of peace and good will."Noting that by their very nature the beliefs of various faiths "will never be the same," Obama said, "No matter what we choose to believe, let us remember that there is no religion whose central tenet is hate. ... There is no God who condones taking the life of an innocent human being. This much we know."Blair, who became a Catholic a few months after he left office in June 2007, made similar observations about the world's religions and their teachings about peace. He also said that "religion is under attack from without and from within. From within it is corroded by extremists who use their faith as a means of excluding the other. ... If you do not believe as I believe, you are a lesser human being."From without, religious faith is assailed by an increasingly aggressive secularism, which derides faith as contrary to reason and defines faith by conflict," said Blair, according to a text provided by his office. "Thus do the extreme believers and the aggressive nonbelievers come together in unholy alliance."Both Blair and Obama told of how their experiences with people of faith helped inspire their own search for God.Blair explained how a teacher knelt and prayed with him as he worried about his ailing father."Now my father was a militant atheist," he said. "Before we prayed, I thought I should confess this. 'I'm afraid my father doesn't believe in God,' I said. 'That doesn't matter,' my teacher replied. 'God believes in him. He loves him without demanding or needing love in return.'""That is what inspires," Blair said, "the unconditional nature of God's love. A promise perpetually kept. A covenant never broken."Obama explained that he was not raised with strong religious traditions."I had a father who was born a Muslim but became an atheist, grandparents who were nonpracticing Methodists and Baptists, and a mother who was skeptical of organized religion, even as she was the kindest, most spiritual person I've ever known," the president said."She was the one who taught me as a child to love, and to understand, and to do unto others as I would want done," he said.He explained that he became a Christian after he moved to the South Side of Chicago after college. In his work as a community organizer, his office was in a Catholic church."It happened not because of indoctrination or a sudden revelation, but because I spent month after month working with church folks who simply wanted to help neighbors who were down on their luck -- no matter what they looked like, or where they came from, or who they prayed to," Obama said."It was on those streets, in those neighborhoods, that I first heard God's spirit beckon me. It was there that I felt called to a higher purpose -- his purpose," he said.Obama said that sense of a higher purpose is what led many in the audience of varied faiths and nations to the annual prayer breakfast."We come to break bread and give thanks and seek guidance, but also to rededicate ourselves to the mission of love and service that lies at the heart of all humanity," he said. "As St. Augustine once said, 'Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you.'"The National Prayer Breakfast is a privately organized annual event that draws participants from around the world to several days' worth of events. Participation by the sitting president dates back to President Dwight Eisenhower.Among world leaders who reportedly attended this year were Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Haitian President Rene Preval and the prime ministers of Albania, Macedonia and Mauritius. Current and past members of Congress, governors, Cabinet members and Supreme Court justices also are typically among the guests.The event is closed to press coverage, except for a small group admitted with the president.END

Faith and Works.....or Just Faith?

Recent conversations with a spiritual acolyte got me to dive further more in on my understanding of Sola Fide, the doctrine which says that only faith in Jesus' Christ will get someone in heaven and its juxtaposition to that of the "faith and works" doctrine of the Catholic Church. My main purpose is not disputing one or the other but merely exposing the misunderstandings that should be factored out when approaching such rich and God-breathed topics.

Do You believe in the Incarnation of the Word.

Do You believe in the Trinity.

Do You believe in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

All Christians would undoubtedly and unanimously respond "I do."

These three statements, in and of themselves are three pillars of the christian faith. They are so coherent for the christian, and their truth is so indisputable that they actually become facts, data (not scientific) but divine data that each and every christian assents to with their intellect. In other words they possess a "tell me something i do not know" connotation to them.

The ensemble of truths that guides the Christian is therefore summed up as his faith, the christian faith. Assenting to that knowledge by saying I do, I proclaim my belief that they are true just as true as water boils at 100 C, although not necessarily presented with scientific facts as the latter. Such is faith. For example the resurrection, the incarnation and the trinity is unique only to the christian faith in that a muslim or a jew might respectfully disagree with you. In the same token, the mere fact that you accept those words as truth and reality is what makes you christian and not anything else. It would be very theologically impossible for one to explain his consentment to christianity and Islam at the same time, for the simple fact whils both being monotheistic that the former is trinitarian , the latter is unitarian.

Well Where am i going with this?

Catholics believe in salvation (heaven/eternal life) by faith and works, whereas the doctrine of Sola Fide, which eventually sparked the protestant reformation, teaches that one is saved by faith alone, Seems like a whole lot of contradiction, wait a minute, not so fast. And i want you to follow me very carefully. Two verses: Both

Ephesians 2:8 (New International Version)

⁸For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—⁹not by works, so that no one can boast.

Well seems as though .........and then there is this verse

James 2:24 (New International Version)

²⁴You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.

Is the bible contradicting itself? NO BY NO MEANS.

To show that i must introduce two words : Ascentia and Fiducia

Ascentia is the mental ascent to a divine truth. Fiducia is more than mental acknowledgment. It involves a trust in something, a giving over to it, a complete believing and acceptance of something to the point of "denying the self". They can be summed up as "I know the faith vs. I have faith in."

Both Ascentia and Fiducia have been interchanged too often in this discussion of Justification, that leads to tremendous confusion, and this has been fairly easy to accomplish in common English because they both termed/translated as "faith". HAVING SAID THAT, WHAT IS OF UTMOST IMPORTANCE, IS THE FACT THAT CHRISTIANITY IS THE ONLY RELIGION WHERE ASCENTIA (of Jesus) and FIDUCIA (in Jesus) ARE POSSIBLE, SIMPLY BECAUSE OF THE DIVINITY OF JESUS. WE BELIEVE JESUS, His Story (christian faith-ascentia) and ALSO WE BELIEVE IN JESUS (faith in his way requiring total surrendering of the self-fiducia)

Paul in most of his epistles is speaking about fiducia. Writing to the Ephesian community, early christians that have changed their lives to realign with that of Christ, he reiterates to them the presence of God's Saving grace that lives within....

Whilst James is referring to Ascentia. James recognizes the notion of talking the talk and walking the walk without necessarily conjoining them inside of the word "faith" [Ascentia-talking the talk vs. Do the Do (works)].

BEAR WITH ME as i propose A little Mathematical formula to describe this dynamic will go as follow:

Ascentia+Works ===> (should translate to ) Fiducia ===> (should translate) Ascentia+Works

and FALLABLY and even mathematically untrue in the English Language when both meanings are conjoined within one Word.

faith +Works = faith.

Here is the big PROBLEM. Paul even makes note of this.

Fiducia is A GIFT FROM God. And you the reader, and I MUST both agree on that.

-How can that be?, since We know that everyone doesn't get the gift.....mmmmh?

-Is the Gift just random? Nothing about God is Random.

-Does that mean some are doomed from the beginning, deprived of a clear chance at the gift of faith? certainly not, how cruel is it to even possibly fathom that idea. Predestination doesn't fit into christian theology, pure and simple?

-Is there a criteria, a checklist for obtaining this gift? We could do nothing of our own to deserve it!!

-How then do we turn God's Eyes our way to have mercy on our soul and to entrust us with this special Fiducia gift? ? ?

HE HIMSELF GAVE US THAT ANSWER:

1-You must seek God and you shall find Him, by seeking the truth.

2-If you assent to His existence (Ascentia) and desire to partake in his kingdom, you ought to love Him. How do you Love God, you Follow his commandments by obeying the ten commandments (works).

3-Not just love him but also love your neighbour, because whatever you do for the least ones ( poor, naked, hungry), you will be doing it for him. (works)

4- You read the bible daily (works)

How does GRACE, an indiscutable total result of the mercy relate to Ascentia/Fiducia?

Well Everyone gets mail. The excitement that comes with getting a package, everyone felt that before. Every piece of mail we get from God, is delivered by the Holy Spirit. One of the biggest one comes in a hugerific box has the stamp GRACE (From the Salvation Department). When you open that package, literally, it's a flame, and if you look carefully there is also a return enveloppe called Fiducia, and the special intructions in the card says "keep alive, more to come"!

What Does that mean?

1-Well all that simply means is you have received a gift that says "keep alive", simply translates to don't put out the flame. How does one put out the flame??, by thinking mail with a Grace stamp is junk mail, use the return enveloppe that says Fiducia for scratch paper or to do something else. In other words we must make use of this gift daily for the greater purpose of God's Kingdom.

"More to come", means you ought to expect a lot more mail with the stamp Grace as a header (Write a journal article shedding light about the faith- Ascentia, start a radio show on the faith -Ascentia, Go to pilgrimage, join the seminary to learn more about the ascentia, habitat for humanity, AIDS Patient assistance program and so on ...) They are all acts of faith-Fiducia and to every single one of them there is a fiducia return mail to which you shall respond, lest the flame attenuates.

Ascentia+Works ===> (should translate) Fiducia ===> (should translate) Ascentia+Works

Two Phases -"SEEK Phase" followed by "RESPONSE Phase" essential for Salvation. 

You can never have enough ascentia because God is infinite, the more you know him, the better you serve and love him. "Love God with all your mind"

You can never do enough works, because once you serve and love him, the happiness you get from that will not let you Stop from serving and loving all that is HIS (neighbours as well). "Love God with all your might"

To assist you with enthusiasm and wisdom and everlasting love in Seek Phase , he grants you grace (a gift ) -in a way to materialize this dynamic relationship of the RESPONSE phase!

So far this seems clear.

Here comes the disagreement.

Catholics believe that a formula that has worked time and time again to receive this gift (with the Grace package which has a Fiducia return mail), most often goes to the ones who please God...How Do they Know? They see that Flame shining in those people... is by learning HIS WORD (Ascentia) AND doing HIS WILL (Works).

Sola Fide teaches that one of these two

-one can receive this gift (a Grace package which has a Fiducia return mail within) by having Ascentia ALONE.

-one can receive this gift (a Grace package which has a Fiducia return mail within) by having Fiducia ALONE.

The latter is not feasable. Must be the Former. Catholics however disagree with the Former saying that.... Just the mental ascent to Jesus will not get someone in Heaven. Must follow it up with Works as James Asserted.

This is what i realized over my talk with my spiritual acolyte, whom i clearly thank God for is:.... Sola Fide, teaches and means Fiducia, but since you cannot get the gift of faith by having faith, it intellectually sounds like Ascentia (accepting Jesus as the savior) but I have realized that it is clearly more to it than just mental knowledge.

Moreover Sola Fide reconciles more with phase 2....THE RESPONSE but provides no formula for the seek PHASE. But the Catholic Church sees fits that its primary function is to lead people to Christ in order for them to receive the gift of Grace and start their

So to Accomodate that, we now have faith (the faith -Ascentia) and Faith (Faith in- Fiducia).

But that seemed to complicate things even further. Hence that was my last debate.

"Fiduciately" Yielding to The Spirit

THE WORD OF GOD: Jesus or the Bible ?

What is the Word of God? Through recent readings, i realized a paramount  truth that shed light on my understanding of the Christian faith. What is the Word of God?

When one asks what is the WORD OF GOD? I am very quick to answer that Jesus is the WORD OF GOD, the Logos, the Fully incarnate WORD.  That is understandably and unarguably the Truth. However, the Bible has often been referred to also as the Word of God, and personally, I had trouble accepting that. Certainly not because i am questionning the validity of the sacred book itself, but because it limits our infinite God  and his abilities in a book. 

Then it begs the question?  Why would the Early Church Fathers (first 300 years of Christianity) who clearly existed before the full fledged canonized Bible (4th century) decide to term the bible "the Word of God". 

Here we have now 1600 hundred years later, Jesus and the Bible both being termed as .... the Word of God. 

Then on this glorious day of easter it became quickly apparent to me that the fully human and fully divine nature of Jesus is what God intended to parallelize in the Bible. 

John starts his gospel on a very high christology depicting Jesus as the Incarnate Word. "In the beginning was the WORD." Surely enough the early Christian fathers understood that very same concept, leading to the dogma of Jesus being truly and fully human and truly and fully divine. ANYTHING ELSE WAS CONSIDERED HERETICAL, most prominently arianism and  . This is the mystery of our Faith. 

How can someone be truly human and truly divine? 

This dual nature, MYSTERIOUS YET EVER SO HOLY AND PURE, resides in one person of the trinity and  resounds again and again throughout scriptures. In Mark 5:30, We observe Jesus (i) fully human - perceiving of His senses, realizing someone had touched him when he asked "WHO TOUCHED MY GARMENT?", (ii) whilst at the same time fully divine to feel  that "POWER PROCEEDING FROM HIM had gone forth" whereby Jesus cures the woman. His question was obviously misunderstood by his disciples who were yet to be revealed THE FULL TRUTH, THE WHOLE THRUTH ABOUT THEIR MASTER'S DUAL NATURE.

Where is this going?

Well Just as God intended for his son to be fully Human and Fully divine, God also intended for the bible to be so.  The Written word of God reflects not only the divine thought, but a human touch. The Word of God depicts truths to us as written by men, conveying the thoughts, personalities and even limitations of the writers inspired by God. Fr James Bernstein writes: 

"This means that the human element in the Bible is not overwhelmed so as to be lost in the ocean of the divine. It became clearer to me that as Christ Himself was born, grew, and matured, so also did the written Word of God, the Bible." It did not come down whole-plop-from heaven, but was of human origin as well as divine. The Apostles did not merely inscribe the Scriptures as would a robot, but freely cooperated with the will of God through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

The Early Church Fathers understood that ever so well and were comfortable accepting that truth. The fact of the matter is that God desires to draw close to Humanity, his creation, at every moment, and desires us to be an integral part of  his divine plan of salvation. Dr Kreeft once said: If you are seeking God, most likely it's simply because God is seeking you a lot more than you can imagine. 

To minimize Jesus' humanity diminishes the price He paid for us on the Cross. Similarly to dismiss his divinity questions the credibility of Christianity. Let's not make the same mistakes with the Bible. Its Human element is just as divine as its divinity was rendered sacred by Humans. 

The Parting of the Saints : Peter for Catholics, Paul for Protestants -Part 1

Conversation with a Protestant- "Apologetics from the Inside out" 

Recent discussion with a zealous protestant friend of mine has prompted me to dive in deeper into the field of Apologetics, however from a different approach. Not Who is right and who is wrong, clearly because that never seems to progress. I aim now to understand, and expound on their beliefs (protestants, and catholics) within the confinement that their respective theology allows. 

What Do I really mean by that. Well, everytime we begin to read any book (science, literature, poetry, etc) , often times we have "silent questions", inquiries in mind that allow us to understand the text we are reading in depth. Well, the same applies to the Bible. Catholics and Protestants alike have the bible as their sacred text ( with some differences that i would like to forego here for the sake of my argument). It occured to me that, that there is a fundamental difference in "that silent question" we subconsciously ask ourselves as we read the Word. That question like a vector, controls not only the magnitude of the depth we seek to plunge the mind in, but also controls the direction that we choose to build upon, all the while restricted by the confinement that their respective theology allows. The latter finds itself to be very very crucial in the dichotomy between Catholics and Protestants. 

Well, What's the big deal, everyone asks different subjective questions as they read the Texts even within the same denominations? 

Well Although that is very true, these subjective questions tend to remain within the confinement of what we already believe. These are readily shaped by the theologies we validate upon joining a certain denomination. 

 For example, let's take a paramount  topic in the PC's (Protestant Churches) and CC's (Catholic Church's) theologies:  Saint Peter or Peter (reaffirming my point of which lens are you wearing). This therefore raises the topic of The Pope, Bishop of Rome, successor of Peter, priests and the whole nine yard, but for the sake of time, let's confine ourselves to Peter, the Disciple and his role in Christianity.

Sola Fide and Sola Scriptura, the Two most prominent doctrines of the Protestant Reformation at the root of all our differences, right from the beginning affirmed that : ONLY THE BIBLE  SHOULD DICTATE US AS TO MATTERS OF FAITH, AND ONLY OUR FAITH IN GOD, BRINGS US SALVATION. 

Well we know what that means, and most seemingly seems very Logical. God draws close to us, Men all the time. He therefore in a plan of sheer goodness decides to use Men to write HIS WORD. Hence God being the sole author of the Bible, it would therefore seem fit that He is the dictator of our faith. BRILLIANT! Up to this point we agree!

Validating the brilliance of the scholarship of Martin Luther. But what does it truly entail? How could that doctrine possibly confine our thinking and therefore reshape our"silent question" 

If only the bible should dictate us as to matters of faith as it clearly states in Sola Scriptura, the keyword here being DICTATE, this more than automatically dissolves any authority that "anyone" may claim it has over the church.....BINGO, including the pope. Now while this may seem logical to some minds (confined within the doctrine Sola Scriptura) , It raises a HUGE and ENORMOUS FALLACY, shall i call it a Blasphemy, that which underscores, that the pope, being the head of the church is putting himself on the same pedestal with Our Lord. 

When in Fact, the pope, is the "servant of the servants of God"-

When in fact, the pope's authority and seemingly immense power comes from the fact that he has no power at all to change the teachings of WHOM he serves, including Sanctity of life, a teaching that has recently been under so much controversy ( Abortion, contraception...etc)

When in fact, one of the pope's tasks is to preserve the INTEGRITY  and Pristinity of the very same bible he is accused to overthrow. 

Now the million Dollar question is how could it possibly get to that point, or did the rejection of the authority of the pope was utterly motivated by Man's rebellion to authority? NOT what Martin Luther intended it to be ( a rebel) or do (a reformation)? I elect for the answer of this question to leave it up to the inquisitive mind of the reader, for fear of injecting bias. 

Back to my point about Peter, Well If The pope's authority is undermined, well whoever He claims to have that authority from would therefore be undermined. 

Peter, whose name means Rock (baptized by the Lord himself from Simon), the very Rock God built His church on, Peter!  

-who was to receive the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, the very place we seek to reach: Mt 16:19, 

-Who was given a specific and unique, and special task to tend God's Lambs, Sheperd The Sheeps in John 21:15-19,

-To Whom only God The father revealed the identity of OUR Lord, Matthew 16:16

was given the divine task to forgive sins, and bind things on earth as they will be bound in heaven.

With all these mounting evidences that like a counted few others, Saint Peter uniquely was an important part to God's Divine Plan for Salvation. However we choose to linger on his transgressions

Why did he Deny Jesus? I like to say that it is for that very reason God Chose Man to help Man get saved, To realize that we are sinners, renounce from our ways and pick our cross to follow and uphold the teachings of Christ. Peter in the most beautiful way did JUST that, strenghtened by the Spirit and the very prayer of Jesus HIMSELF (luke 22:32). 

As a protestant, my next question would definitely be: Well that was Peter, and the pope Now is the Pope, nothing to do with the special Gifts of Peter himself? This question reinforces my point that the questions we ask are shaped by the confinements within the walls of the Theology we accepted. 

The answer is "WE BELIEVE". Catholics believe in Apostolic Succession. 

The belief for me stems from the infinite Love that God has for us, and would not allow us to go astray. EVERYTHING COMES FROM THE FATHER, by THE SON, through THE HOLYSPIRIT, That same Holy Spirit guides the Church and all its fervent  and devout followers for many Generations to come. The Pope, as the servant of the servants of the people in the Kingdom of God, imbibs himself with that Spirit of God that reigned, reigns, and will reign over the Church, and sheperd us to the KING! 

The Pope's visible and tangible presence here on Earth, now, leads us to be imitators of Christ by upholding and sanctifying the VISIBLE truths of the CHURCH.  

FROM THE FATHER -

The church- The Temple of God (House of God the father(physical building) jOHN 2:13-22) , The pope as a leader, would ensure, set rules and boundaries that the House of God is not to be disrespected, but rather use for the worship and Glory of God 

 

BY THE SON

The Church- The Body of Christ ( powerful reality of the Eucharist - By eating his flesh and drinking his blood- NOT a  symbol John 6:53) -The pope as a leader, would ensure, set rules and boundaries that the BODY OF CHRIST is not to be disrespected, but rather received in truth, sincerity, and  that we, in being in the presence of CHRIST, KING HIMSELF are heir to the new covenant, HIS Kingdom 

THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT

The Church- Our Soul, where the Holy Spirit resides (Urges us to reflect that shining light by (1)  loving Our God, hence building a visible  environment within which seeking HIS holiness and abstaining from the wages of Sin is made possible daily, and (2) loving our neighbors, the least fortunate one, the unpriviledged the "windows and orphans", Matthew 25- receiving the least of us, The Pope in so doing teaches us how to heed to the demands of the spirit, he creates an environment where Holiness and perfection is seeked by its true followers

IN ALL THREE, ALL THREE IN ONE, ONE CHURCH forever and ever!

Sorry i got Carried away just a bit, but let me close by saying this.

We view things through a lens (in this case THEOLOGY). Conversion from "A", does not validate "B", i.e.  a catholic converting to protestantism doesnt affirm that the former is wrong and the latter is right, and vice versa, it simply means that one reshaped the lens thorugh which he viewed things before, that allows you to ask "reshaped silent questions".  This by no means undermines questioning! 

For it is only by questioning that We seek the truth!

In part II, i will focused on PAULINE THEOLOGY, and why it seems as though Protestants embraced St Paul, at the Expense of Catholics, again trying to expose the two lenses. 

Holy Mary, Mother of God, Pray for Us Sinners.

-----"Do you worship Mary, like the Catholics?" 

+++They don't worship Mary, they honour Mary.  

-----"Well, Whats the difference?"

+++Well let me explain, you see when Christ accepted the call from his father to become a Man, He accepted the responsibility to obey the Law, the moral Law which is summarized in the ten commandments. And There is a commandment which reads honor your father and mother, and see the original hebrew that word honour means "caf-bet-dalet "and in english translates to "to glorify, to bestow whatever glory you have upon your father and mother." Christ fulfill that law MORE PERFECTLY THAN ANY HUMAN BEING  by bestowing his glory upon his heavenly father and by taking his own divine Glory and honouring his mother with it. All WE, catholics, do in the Rosary, is to imitate Christ, who honours his mother with his own Glory, we honour her with Christ's Glory.

-----Where does it say that in the Bible? 

+++Well which part are you having trouble believing? the fact that Christ honoured his mother and Father , or the fact that He perfectly obeyed the 10 commandments and never sinned . 

-----If it's not in the Bible then I dont believe it!!!

+++(Spoken like a true follower of Sola Scriptura-God Bless M. Luther's Soul). Well show me in the bible where THE BIBLE TEACHES YOU TO ONLY BELIEVE WHAT THE BIBLE TEACHES. As a matter of fact 2 Thessalonians 2:15 BEGS TO DIFFER. 

You see by praying the Rosary, I become truly a Child of God. Not Only God becomes my Father and  Christ, my brother, I get His mother to be mine too!  Truly taking part in the covenant established by Jesus Christ,  based on a COMPLETE familial relationship with our Lord. This is the "WHOLE" truth.

This was inspired from a talk i recently heard by Scott Hahn, one of the most prominet anti-catholic ministers who converted to catholicism. 

He Quoted Fulton Sheen, when he opened by saying: 

"There are about 100 people who really hate the Catholic Church, but there are Millions who hate the misconceptions about the Catholic Church."

Seek the TRUTH. 

"ROBOT"

Chukwudi is a senior student in mechanical Engineering and for his senior design project proposed to build from scratch a robotic prototype able to walk and say few programmed words (yes, thank you, Good Bye). Day and night, Chuks, as his friends nicknamed him, worked hard at it, in order to fulfill this goal not only because it was a graduation requirement, but it was dear to his heart. 

Evidently his dedication paid off and his robot received the first prize of the 209 Competition. Chuks was very ecstatic, so happy that he named his robot Obinna, took it everywhere he went, protected it with all his heart. As Chucks was displaying couple tricks the robot could do: "Come here Obinna" said chucks and just as it was programmed to do, it would step by step get closer to the voice he heard. "Are you happy?" asked chucks, and the robot, jiggling his head, bobbled "yes". That day he received standing ovation by the spectators.  

The senior design projects were to be displayed at the school of Engineering banquet at the end of the year in front of the largest crowd and Chuks' work was the prime event. On that day, for whatever the reason something very strange happenned. The robot wasn't.......ummmmmm........ HOLD UP.!!!  

See, you have to realize that if the Robot did not do what he was programmed to do, there is a serious cause for concern for Chucks.  

NOW, understandably Chuks has a maker as well. Chuks' maker however is "waaaaaay beyond skillful", Now you can imagine for yourself, if He can make chuks talk, walk, run, sing, think, read, understand and even give him the ability to make robots. Chuks' maker's skills are wayyyyyy beyond imaginable. He is so powerful that he made billions and i mean billions of "robots" just like ChuckS with all different programs, but one manual!!! Talk about computer scientist at its bestest!!!. .... HOLD UP !!!!!  

See, here again you have to realize that as Chucks doesnt do what he is programmed to do, THEN THERE IS ALSO A SERIOUS CASE FOR CONCERN.  

In both situations, the created, by obeying, and following what he was "programmed to do" makes the creator happy, i.e. In "functionning", it gives the glory to its creator. Just as Chucks will be deprived of his own glory should the robot fail to behave as programmed, we also do deprive, our creator and our Lord from HIS glory, should we decide to " not function." Amongst all, it includes denying him, but also swearing, stealing, lying and so forth.

PEOPLE OF GOD, WAKE UP. Pick up your manual, and read what you are programmed to do!!! 

Faith is belief without seeing, NOT Belief without understanding. The secular nature of this world has succesfully convinced Man that following blindly, is following unintelligently!!! But its not! Sadly, it has been so successful at it, that now even "believers" fail to understand their faith, believers fail to understand what they are programmed to do. Pick up your manual, repent, and seek to understand your faith!

P.S- That manual is the Bible

AD MAIOREM DEI GLORIAM

Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam

In coming up with the title of this blog, i refered to one of my spiritual advisors, Father Gerry and his affiliation to the Jesuits. As you may already know, Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam is the "anthem" of the Jesuits society and in its completeness "Inque Hominum Salutem" I chose as the title and all it simply means: "For The Greater Glory of God - And the salvation of Humanity."

"Why are we to glorify God? Why does our Lauding result in human Salvation. Why?
It's paramount to understand the word Glory and so :

glory
Noun
pl -ries
1. fame, praise, or honour: tales of glory
2. splendour: the glory of the tropical day
3. something worthy of praise: the Lady Chapel is the great glory of Lichfield
4. adoration or worship: the greater glory of God
Verb
[-ries, -rying, -ried]
glory in to take great pleasure in: the workers were glorying in their new-found freedom [Latin gloria]

Collins Essential English Dictionary 2nd Edition 2006 © HarperCollins Publishers 2004, 2006

See, Everthing that God created he created it at his own glory, in his own splendour. No wonder the bible tells us "and He saw that it was good." Gn 1:4;10;12.. Along the same the train of thoughts, everytime the sun is bright and resplendissant, it's to God's Glory, everytime the Stars shine and glow, it is to God's glory. He specifically took pleasure in creating them. Now we know that a creator, is not only creative but rejoyces triumphantly in its piece.

With that in mind, The Bible tells us.
Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
Does image mean we physically resemble God? OR THAT GOD GAVE US THE ABILITY TO BE CREATIVE LIKE HIM?

Now here comes the two pronged dichotomy, or as i would rather call it "our two-front journey"

(i) Man doesn't just have the ability to create ( as Man was created in God's image)
(ii) But he also, in the same token that he is a creation of God, ought to give HIM (God ) the Glory, in other words, God has to be able to rejoyce in HIS WORK, HIS CREATION THAT IS MAN.

I explain:

Pablo Picasso STARES at his beautiful piece of GUERNICA with such great satisfaction, GUERNICA's splendor fulfills his inner artistic/creative being.

Johann Sebatian Bach listens to his Brandenburg Concerto and inwardly smiles saying "It is good" My work has done me proud!!!!

Thomas Edison paginates his patenting book, hold it to his heart, and feels the warmth: it is Good because his work has done him good.

Maupassant rereads his book and momentarily closes his eye lids saying: my work has done me good.

All these prominent creators/artists can claim all the glory because it is almost unlikely for your work to turn against you in its primary sense.

BUT THAT IS ONLYYYYYYYYYY HALF OF THE PICTURE, people, BECAUSE BY THEY THEMSELVES BEING "A" CREATION , gives their creator the same glory through their work. The problem comes when they reject the second aspect of that two-fronted journey in that they refuse to give authorship of "THEM" to God. Hence the greatest sin of being too prideful.

Now here is a very rhethorical question?
How would Picasso, Bach, Edison, and Maupassant feel, had their work denied them.....in other words.... "somone else" has claimed authorship of their work?


Ever heard of our God being a jealous God? Now wonder why?

(Buy one Glory... get one free) If we do it, why do we inhibit our creator to do it, He created us in his likeness, didnt he?

Science and Faith: "Contact"

Why? ...Such is that notorious question that is incessantly bothers great minds ( and also that of toddlers), in their attempt to decipher "a" puzzle, whatever its nature, which came to be baptized as SCIENCE! 
And just like The movie "Contact" illustrated, an attempt to describe faith, the belief in the unseen, would be venturing into finding the point at which two parallel lines cross each other.

Intelligent Design vs. Big Bang 
Resurrection vs. Post schock Ressuscitation 
Divine Intervention (Mary, Sarah..) vs. Artificial Insemination (Cloning, Stem Cells...)
Him vs them ......

Are "Believing" scientist then called to choose sides? Pick between which represents more accurately the true essence of their being? Do they then become hypocritical if they dont? For too long society has tried to characterize the discourse of these two notions as a duality, and intrisically a mutually exclusive concept. Then the question becomes Who is Society? which is another scientifically challenging topic, although ideological in nature. Venturing into that would spell out digressing. So here are we, believing scientists, victims of the Inquisitive monster, in search for the answer, why? who? and what? as they apply to all the "Versus" above. 
The discourse around this topic had made its ways into schools, governmental policies, clerical doctrines but even more so the human mind. 

Various theories have tried to prove the existence of God (Causality and so on). Atheistic views have also made their way to the top often times using scientific facts.

(Darlington What are you trying to say?)

May it be that the puzzle we are trying to solve, or recently unravelled was pre-existing. After all a puzzle, while it generates excitement and a sense of pride once solved, is created as a whole (in the factory). 
In other words, is the latest scientific discovery, an archive in God's Patent journal?

If so, is it safe to say that science can only take us so far, and that God takes it from there? Or Is it then that society's increasingly prideful nature refuses to credit the "Creator" and decides to reward the "discoverer", or rather attribute both terminologies to the "discoverer".

This pride has made us (society) call the greatest discoveries accidents, or luck. 

Hypocritically , this pride has associated the greatest acts of science (publications in elite journal, and nobels of distinguishable stature) with discoveries directly or somewhat indirectly related to life in its simplest form. (DNA, Bacteria, Plant species -refs-)

Its as if we know, yet we fail to recognize. 

Whichever the case, I know that there is a God, without whom nothing would be possible including scientific intellectual prowess. It is also absolutely absurd and prideful to insinuate that we, as human, understand "the method behind the madness". 

Ironically, thank God we dont get charged with Plagiarism! By who ? 

However, the process in which one seeks ,without shoving humility aside, to make a contribution by fetching a bucket of water in God's unending reservoir is called SCIENCE!, while knowing that there exist this imaginary reservoir leads to FAITH

So are they mutually exclusive? To the prideful mind, yes they are! But then again i maybe wrong.

Ohanaka?

1- Darlington is my REAL first name, Chidi is my middle name and Abanulo is my last name. Ohanaka would have been my last name had my dad followed traditional customs, Hence i use it as a "brand" name. no more nomenclature question from now on.....(fisty there Dee!) 

2-I have a relatively large amount of trouble identifying myself with any particular type of group (ethnic, racial, national)...heck, my sisters think i am white.

3-I am Catholic, YES seriously, and joining some form of order has recently been up for some serious consideration.

4- I love kids, very very much....what about them? probably "the false sense of ignorance" in their innocence......kids are precious, even the bible said so :) 

5-i am in love with analogies: My dad is my coach, my mom more like my trainer when it comes to the game of life, lol and you know this was coming, and Jesus is the owner of the franchise!!!

6-I strongly believe that Love is a choice.

7-If you don't agree with Number 6, then you'll feel right at home on number 7, because i love to debate and share ideas. I tend to call it, "my brain hits the gym". 

8- I truly enjoyed the competitivenes of school back home in CIV, i cruised through high school... it was a joke, and so was college. however Doctoral studies makes me feel like i dont know nor haven't learned anything...thanks Socrates!

9-I like to think i am caught between two worlds: Nerds and Cools.....The nerds think i am cool, and the cools think i am a nerd. 

10- My two baby sisters who have grown up before my own eyes, they are the only reason why the theory of evolution is somehow plausible. (lol, not to be funny )

11- I love to think i have a twin, he hates it! .......My older brother (overriding any confusion on number 10) is my best friend, since birth-(so... Creationism hands down!

12-Surprisingly....Doing science sucks.... being a scientist, i love! 

13-I always tought that i would marry a nurse. My favorite auntie was one, dont get ideas!!!! 

14-You know what's cool.... renting movies, popping lots of corn and get under the blanky ALLLLLLLLLLLLL day....That happens when i need time away from the lab. 

15- I love flying! the idea of being translated accross a map is still a mystery to me. 

16- I still can't fathom the idea of being a vegetarian, love meat, can't do without...I love leaves too, and flowers, lol lol lol lol.

17- Yes, I speak french no i won't teach you....get the rosetta stone or go to france. (That's my mean side, see its not that bad)

18- Humor is an important asset to have, lighten up, 

lol forexample If friendship was a house, Humor would be the bathroom #2, think before you use it, but it does feel a lot better once you do. lol I am corny!!! hahahaah

19- Football...or i guess soccer, is the only reason why I am not obese....I eat a lot, like a whole lot, and i play alot! lol its the Phelps ideology.

20- You're either black, white or Nigerian. jk. hahahahahahah i can hear Ghanaians banging at my door. but number 20 is the fact i have come to appreciate and even cherish the "rivalry" between Nigeria and Ghana...

21-I am fascinated with the way people think, so i love theology, my friends, politics , psychology (I dont really like that word though). Can't forget kids..Neverrrrr....

22-However, in contrast, I am still trying to understand the mystery behind "loving" animals (dogs, cats, and the whole nine yard) they freak me out. i am really afraid of dogs, and anything that can outlast me in a race. 

23- I do always smile, don't i? lol....DON'T BE FOOLED :) 

24- By now you must think i am crazy, but its not about you, LOL , i like to think i am realistic!!!

25-I hear "a calling", a very special calling. Is it You Lord?

Atom and Adam

These represent my views and opinions, they represent only mine, and not that of the Church (Referring to the Catholic Faith, although I would be very happy to direct you to readings of doctrines and dogmas of the Church)

Recent talks have surfaced on matters pertaining to the theory of evolution view the recent findings, And of course that has raised tremendous discourse within the faithful as to their belief in intelligent design and/or creationism and further on ..

Now as we all know when scientist come up with a new theory, they look to the Church to redefine its teachings and all it that entails  to coherently assert their views. Or the Church may feel to renew their statement as to what they have taught in the catechism. Why the Church? Maybe, as the single largest entity of Christian faith with a hierarchical authority. 

Nevertheless, the question is how do you comment on science when your expertise is theology, one is to ask? BINGO....The church, with some expectations as well i believe from its followers, has devoted ample amount of time, since the beginning of , effort, and manpower( yes, there are clergy scientists ) from the beginning of ages on this discourse, and had had a firm stand on God being the creator of All. However the notion of Evolution and Creationism, Pope Benedict recently issued the commentary "are NOT mutually exclusive, rather complementary" and further speaks of inner unity between faith and reason. 

Then there comes the "jenga-ists", fundamentalists often times Christians of other denominations would try to take a shot and pick at comments with lousy attacks such as i quote from Mr Ray Comfort "the Vatican has chosen to officially believe Darwin rather than Jesus.” and i believe for the sad purpose of fame and publicity which i won't judge because after all they are entitled to their opinion. 

Now Here is where the shortcoming sets in!

Who wrote the Bible? 

God IS the sole author, every christian (catholics and protestants alike) MUST believe it, not a choice, a DOGMA at that. It is a sacred book with deep meaning, very coherent at that, easily above and beyond Mankind intellect, and DEFINITELY NOT A COLLECTION OF VERSES WE CAN USE to defend and reject our point. 

THE MERE FACT THAT GOD IS THE SOLE AUTHOR OF THE BIBLE signals that NO MAN will fully and i say fully decipher its contents and if there exist such A MAN , let him be called GOD. We are therefore merely limited to OUR understanding of the Word.

Who created the Earth? 

God, all powerful, all mighty , and all knowing. In the Beginning was God!!!!!! DOGMA as well every christian must believe it, not a choice, HE is the Essences of existence

However ,SIMILARLY THE MERE FACT THAT GOD IS THE SOLE CREATOR OF LIFE Signals that NO SCIENTIST will fully decipher its contents, and understand all the dynamics and its complexities therein and if there exist such A BEING, let him be called GOD. 

Ladies and Gentlemen, OR rather Mr. Ray Comfort and Darwin, let's not pretend to be GOD either in proving or disproving theories, because journeying in such a task entail absolute certainty and not mere speculation, especially on MANKIND thinking, we can however rely on our faith. Faith is therefore not absolute certainty that one is right, its absolute humility and therefore trust and hope in God. 

P.S. And I, as a devout catholic respect the views of the pope, symbolic of humility and wisdom, to know that he is not all knowing! thereby affirming that they are not mutually exclusive.